Maximising competition performance

The most important part of our work is enabling athletes to deliver medal winning performances when it matters. Our work to maximise competition performance is focused on the specific detail of getting things right on the day.

The competition environment can be very different across the range of sports, such as individual races, races against the clock, team matches, one-on-one contest or skills-based competition against a number of others.

Services to maximise competition performance cover the physical, mental and tactical aspects of preparation and are delivered by teams of practitioners who aim to ensure athletes are in the best possible condition on competition day and have the capability to find the extra one percent that may be the difference between winning and losing a medal.

The physical components might include for example an effective nutritional strategy which is particularly important on the day for weight-making sports. The mental challenge of delivering their best performance at the biggest tournament requires specialist Performance Psychology support to help athletes develop the skills and capabilities to deal with a range of situations and pressures.

Tactical insights can be provided during competition for example, using technology and data analysis to provide objective feedback and data to coaches facilitated by a Performance Analyst. This work may also be supplemented by technology and engineering projects which deliver improvements in kit and equipment.

Better facilities and support from the EIS, on everything from nutrition to performance analysis, has moved us from being ranked seventh in the world to a team achieving bronze at the Olympics.